• Results for a survey conducted by The Barna Group revealed that when questioned, parents of teens age 13-17 expressed concerns over peer pressure.
  Parents of pre-teens were concerned about school performance and peer pressure.
  

• A new Cable in the Classroom/The Common Sense Media poll conducted by the Harris Interactive reported that a majority of parents in the US are taking steps to insure that their children are safe while on the Internet and recommended parents talk regularly with their children about web use and online behavior.
  

Now that your first child is ready for first grade, the information from these survey results and others are of personal primary concern .
Begin to use this information and put it into action.
The best way to accomplish this positivebehavior pattern is by discussion infamily dialogues.
Enable your child to move into the next stage of life; Elementary School.
The family's first-grader-meetingshould be few days before school starts.
Let your child talk about their feelings.
If there is fear, talk about it by comforting guidance.
In our home we had a special back-to-school night with the familythe Sunday before Labor Day; football season had not started, it was a holiday weekend, Dad was more relaxed, and school would start two days later.
In any event, pick a day when the family isnot rushed or between activities; the key word is relaxed conversation with an agenda.
What is the agenda? Turn off television, computer, video games, stereo,etc..
so that your child can give the gatheringfull attention and your child knows he or she has your full attention.
The first week of schoolis crammed-full of emotion, stories and chatter.
Make sure you take advantage of all that verbal energy.
Remember, family-gathering communication, is an acquired skill which takes time; give it time.
The goal is the agenda, talk with your child (children).
Peer Pressure begins to make itself known earlier than it did previously.
First Child, First Grade! Peer pressure brings with it the slow eroding of parental influenceand distrust of parental guidance.
In a short period of time someone else is determining your child's sense of right or wrong, what to wear, who to play with or who not to sit next to on the bus.
See this as your time to develop a trust and nurture relationship within the family, watch your parenting-listening skills soar as you give guidance.
Mom and Dad.
work as a teamsetting the family standard of a loving and supporting unit.